Threads of Fate
by Dangerously Grey
Summary: He was left behind. All he can do is survive and wait...for her. Centered around the last episode of "The Final Act" inspired by Len Barboza's "With You"


_Hi all! So I ended up drinking a good amount of wine while watching the final act and I was just a blubbering mess. However, I had mixed feelings over Inuyasha and Kagome's reunion. I felt it needed some angst and redemption so here goes._

 _This fanfic was also inspired by Len Barboza's "With You." Her artwork is insanely amazing and her art conveyed heavy angst and conviction which I thought the ending deserved. Link for her artwork is down below!_

* * *

Topaz eyes swept through the night sky, idly naming out the stars, or "constellations" that were within his sight.

His favorite had been the one known as Hercules, the despised demigod who battled monster after monster to save his dead lover from the underworld. Shippo had fallen in-awe when Kagome recited the entire story by the campfire. Even though Shippo had been her only audience, he had eavesdropped on this tale. By the end of the tale, Hercules had redemption and his wench Megara, by his side.

He envied that ending.

It had been almost three years without his wench. The past two and-a-half years have dragged on far too slowly for his liking, yet it felt like eons ago since he's seen Kagome Higurashi. Since the fateful day of Naraku's demise, along with the Shikon Jewel's, the Feudal Era had fallen into disarray. There wasn't as much war and conquest per se, but the half-demon felt like he didn't belong in this world at all. By then, he hardly remembered that he had been one of the heroes that saved the village from utter destruction. He entirely forgot that he wasn't really accepted in everyday life. His mental disarray had secluded him from people, civilization, and time itself.

None of these facts mattered to him when his mind was gone from this world. He began to crave the futuristic world that had ninja food, questionable smells, and a certain brown-eyed girl that had his heart. And without further ado, he managed to haggle himself a small stack of parchment, some ink, and a hut to immerse himself into the future. Whether it was educational or not, he recorded whatever he remembered about Kagome. He couldn't forget about this wonderful woman. He refused.

Thankfully, Kagome's infamous yellow backpack had been left behind; it contained a few books, a change of clothes, and random knick-knacks that InuYasha has yet to figure out. The canary bag of treasures were keeping InuYasha sane at the very least; he felt closer to Kagame whenever he'd study her books and gadgets. Yet, the scent of her spare uniform was, slowly but surely, wearing down and even _he_ had a hard time finding the citrusy warm scent that was his long-gone love. He sighed wearily as he continued studying the night sky.

InuYasha wondered if she was looking up at the stars too.

* * *

Half a year later, spring had sprung.

After an uneventful winter, InuYasha and Miroku began to make their trips to neighboring villages to exorcise and slay demons. Miroku and Sango's household had run low on rice and resources, which enforced the trips. Finally coming back into the rhythm of the trip, InuYasha marched alongside his violet-clad friend. The four bags of rice and dried meats would do them good for a while. As they neared their village, grey clouds began to clump in their horizon. The steady pitter-patter of rain had forced them to run to the monk's home, ready to get out of the stormy weather.

The stew simmering over the crackling fire comforted InuYasha to say the very least; it almost felt like the gang was back together again. As they ate and debriefed Sango on their recent trip, InuYasha felt a small pang in his heart as he observed the couple. Would he be like Miroku and Sango? Carefree and happy? He was sure if it was him and Kagome, there'd be a silly argument thrown in there just for the sake of it. Scowling lightly, he dug into his stew and made noncommittal grunts of agreement when Miroku nodded his way.

After the cheerful (yet quiet) dinner, InuYasha excused himself from the family and bid them goodnight. His small hut was out of earshot from his friends; He didn't need to hear what was going on at night.

As soon as he entered the hut, he began to cross off the days he traveled from the cartoon calendar Kagome had left behind; The small booklet had three days crossed off now. Tomorrow morning would be three years without Kagome. Sighing quietly, he set the booklet down and sat under the porch he built himself; Kagome's multi-story hut had one to protect them from the rain and he deemed it a good feature to his hut. He built his hut on top of a small hill, just overseeing most of the village along with the Goshinboku. Stuffing his hands in his crimson sleeves, he studied the rainy night; not an villager nor animal in sight. And the truth hit him: he was completely alone and was terrified of it.

It was fate who put Kagome in his path; it was a short role she had in his life, but he couldn't imagine living his life before her. If he lived long enough to see her in the future, he'd gladly seal himself to the tree again. They had the red thread of fate, he was positive of it! However, fate was truthful and blunt. Fate was either amazing or unforgiving, and InuYasha wasn't sure what his fate was with the girl from the well. All he knew was that nothing would keep him from Kagome; If he has to wait another 497 years to see her again, he will wait.

He would survive this nightmare…just for her.

A small, dog-like whine began to bubble up from his chest, clawing its way out, slowly letting out the anguish and desperation his entire being harbored. His chest felt heavy, yet a strange sensation of emptiness that prohibited him from taking normal breaths. InuYasha experienced these symptoms when the night of the new moon would near. Feeling the familiar sting behind his eyes, he growled in annoyance. _Damn_ human emotions! They always act up when his human night was approaching. Piercing his claws into his forearms, he grunted through the feelings and began to calm himself down.

Closing his eyes, InuYasha leaned against the wall and listened to the cadence the rain provided him. The soft whines continued through the night. Blearily opening his eyes, he glimpsed at the foggy village, not a soul in sight; it would be dawn in a few hours. He dozed off again.

* * *

" _InuYasha? Did you grab the orange I brought for my— of course you did." Kagome murmured flatly as she spotted the half-demon under a tree, peeling said fruit._

 _Face reddening, InuYasha "keh"ed and mumbled, "Doesn't have your name on it! You lose wench."_

 _Sighing in annoyance, she sat next to him. If she couldn't beat him, why not join him?_

" _Hey dogboy, cut me a slice and I'll show you a trick." Kagome murmured, noticing the spark of interest in his tawny eyes._

" _Deal."_

 _Kagome smirked and took the slice._

" _I'm going to have an orange smile magically, just close your eyes!" she instructed. He groaned, but complied nonetheless._

 _He felt a tap on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and had a wench grinning ear-to-ear with an orange slice in her mouth completely._

 _His unimpressed stare had her giggling until she choked. That's when InuYasha began to laugh._

—

Citrus. A familiar sweetness and citrusy zest feebly registered in his sinuses; his nose began to sniff a little harder this time, and felt his chest tightening. His dreams were always cruel; they felt so real and vivid when they involved Kagome. He rubbed his eyes as he woke up fully.

Sniffing deeper, he caught the citrusy scent again. No…it couldn't be.

Leaping out of the safety of his porch, he sped off towards the Bone Eater's Well.

He ran with fervor and trepidation; he knew the disappointment of not seeing her would probably kill him. InuYasha felt his heart racing, his guts twisting, tying themselves in fear. By the time he was within eyesight of the well, he was completely soaked. Slowing down significantly, he hesitantly looked at the rim and prayed, to Buddha, fate, destiny, _whoever_ ran this universe, that Kagome was there.

He looked down.

The well was empty.

The bottom of his stomach dropped and he lowly howled in disappointment.

"InuYasha?" mumbled a small, familiar voice.

Nearly snapping his neck, he looked up. In the midst of his pained cry, he failed to notice the brown-eyed girl sitting under a dense tree, nursing a swollen ankle.

In a flash, he was engulfed in the entirety of Kagome Higurashi. He buried his face in her hair and hugged the missing woman in his arms. Immediately, he felt his chest tightening as he let a whine of longing out uncontrollably. He felt her small arms gripping his torso tightly, and smelled salt in the air. The forest was silent aside the two souls who were quietly crying together, finally united.

"…InuYasha I never thought that I'd- see you…again, I missed you _so-"_

His lips found solace on hers; the lips he longed to feel again were finally here. Kagome's hands pulled his neck closer as the desperate kissing merged into a more loving, healing kiss. It was slowly making up for the lost years they spent apart. Separating for air, InuYasha cupped her face in his hands.

 _So fragile, so vital,_ he mused. Looking lovingly into those cinnamon eyes, he growled out,

" _Neither time nor death will keep you from me._ I will wait 'till the end of time just to see you again, you wench. Who else could put up with me?" InuYasha finished with heavy conviction, shaking Kagome to the core.

"I'll admit…it's been hard waiting. I won't lie. You are the person who taught me to trust people, to actually accept who I am— hell even have friends for fucks sake! I owe you my life Kagome; without you I'm nothing, just a brooding half-demon with no purpose." InuYasha murmured as he kept wiping her tears with his thumbs.

Even though she was completely soaked and disheveled, he had never felt more in love in his life.

Smiling gently, wiped the last remaining tears before giving her a simple peck before whispering against her lips, " _My place, my_ _ **life**_ _is to be with you Kagome_ …you're stuck with me"

Kagome laughed out as she sobbed lightly. She was so relieved to be with him, to hear his feelings and to reunite with the man she loved more than life itself. She felt herself being engulfed by something dry; He draped his haori around her small frame as he began to pick her up, noticing the swollen ankle.

"Leave it to you to mess up your foot on your first day back. You're _insufferable_ wench." InuYasha mused as he carried her to the safety of his hut.

"You cant blame me; I kept slipping trying to get out of that damn well" Kagome stammered, giving his ear a tweak. His ear twitched.

A comfortable silence fell between them as they watched the beginning rays of sunrise hit the horizon.

Clearing his throat Inuyasha asked, "It's been a while wench. Did you pass your so-called tests this year?" InuYasha mumbled against her hair, trying to ease the mood.

A watery chuckle resonated in the air, "I did. Perfect score and all" Kagome murmured as she studied her beloved's face.

They both smiled genuinely for the first time in years.

fin.

* * *

post/161964478898/with-you


End file.
